Library Lab: Stockholm using UX methods to improve libraries

In the growing district of Liljeholmen in southern Stockholm, the City Library has launched an ambitious four-year experiment: the Library Lab. Opened in February 2024, this temporary space is not a conventional library but a testing ground for ideas, activities and design concepts, created in close dialogue with local residents. The aim is to discover, using UX (user experience) methods, what kind of library services, spaces and activities are most relevant to the community before building a new large-scale library node in the area. 

The Library Lab: A living dialogue 

Liljeholmen’s busy urban environment, with its mix of long-term residents and daily commuters, offers fertile ground for cultural experimentation. At the Library Lab, staff use UX methods to hold conversations, run activities and test prototypes with people who live, work or pass through the district. The work is organised in short, agile “sprints” – more commonly used to develop software – based on ideas generated by the community itself. One sprint focusing on parents of young children led to a programme of parent breakfasts, clothing swap days and talks on screen time. Another explored the role of art in the library, featuring exhibitions by local artists and visitor workshops. A separate initiative invited children aged nine to thirteen to design their ideal library, while= students were encouraged to test study spaces and suggest improvements. 

Every month, the team shares progress with colleagues across the Stockholm City Library network through open “demo” sessions. This transparency has attracted visitors from libraries, municipalities and cultural organisations across Sweden and other Nordic countries who are keen to observe the Lab’s participatory approach in action. 

Embedding user experience in public libraries 

The Library Lab is part of a broader commitment to making public libraries in Stockholm more relevant and accessible. The city’s cultural policy emphasises increasing cultural participation and ensuring publicly funded services respond to the needs of all residents. To achieve this, Stockholm City Library, which comprises around forty branches, began adopting UX methods in 2019. The approach places the user at the centre of service design, employing research and prototyping techniques to understand behaviours, preferences and expectations. 

The initial phase involved pilot training for staff and managers. With support from the Swedish Arts Council and the European Social Fund, the programme expanded, and since 2021 all library staff have undertaken a five-day course in UX methods, idea generation and rapid prototyping. The training is also freely available as an online resource, extending its reach beyond the municipal library system. 

Informing the future of library services 

The Library Lab is already producing insights that shape decision-making. In Liljeholmen, it is helping to ensure that the planned permanent library will reflect the specific needs of its local community. More broadly, the integration of UX methods across Stockholm City Library has enabled staff to engage more effectively with groups that do not typically visit libraries, creating more inclusive cultural services. The project stands as an adaptable model for other cities, demonstrating how user-centred design can revitalise public cultural institutions and make them more responsive, innovative and equitable.